JP2660092B2 - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label printer that prints a label by aligning the center position of a label with the center position of a maximum width printable by a print head.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when various commands are transmitted from a printer control unit to a label printer in an online mode to print a label, a print control unit firstly sets a print start position with respect to the origin of print data such as a character and a bar code. , A label form command in which magnification, printing direction, etc. are set. Subsequently, a label data command in which the print data is set is transmitted. Finally, an issuance command for performing label printing and issuance is transmitted.
There is also a label printer having a stand-alone mode in which the contents of the above-mentioned command are interactively key-inputted based on a program stored in a RAM card.

By the way, a label printer has a different maximum printable width (hereinafter referred to as a print width) depending on the type of print head provided. For this reason, in a label printer of a type that performs label printing by aligning the center position of the label with the center position of the printing width, the origin for determining the printing start position is fixed for each printer in accordance with the type of print head. . For example, in a label printer having a 3-inch type print head of 0.095 mm per dot composed of 768 dots, the print width is 72.96 mm, and the position shifted 36.48 mm to the left from the center of the print width is X. This is the coordinate origin (X = 0). On the other hand, it consists of 1728 dots and 0.095mm per dot
In a label printer having a 6-inch type print head, the print width is 164.16 mm, and a position 82.08 mm to the left from the center of the print width is the origin of the X coordinate.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional label printer of this type, the origin of the printing start position is fixed depending on the type of the equipped print head. A dedicated printer control unit or RAM card was prepared. For this reason, if another type of printer control unit or RAM card is used, the same print result cannot be obtained.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a label printer that can obtain the same print result even when a printer control unit or a RAM card for a print head of a type different from the equipped print head is used.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, the center position of the label is aligned with the center position of the maximum width that can be printed by the print head, and the print start position and the size of the print data with respect to the deduction of print data such as characters and bar codes are determined. In a label printer which inputs information and prints out print data on a label based on the input information, an information input means for inputting information of a print head to be printed out of the print data, and a maximum printable by the print head. Correction value calculating means for calculating a correction value of a print start position of print data from a maximum width which can be printed by a print head which is a target of print output of print data obtained by input information by the input means; And correction processing means for correcting the print start position information of the print data based on the correction value calculated by (1).

[Operation] In the label printer of the present invention, even if the origin for determining the print start position of the print data is deviated from the origin corresponding to the print width of the model, the print start position is corrected based on the deviation amount. . Thus, the same printing result can be obtained without changing the printing start position information even if the label printer has a different origin.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a label printer in an online mode will be described.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a label printer, 2 is a personal computer as a printer control unit, and both are electrically connected via a communication line 3.

In the label printer 1, as shown in FIG. 2, a CPU (central processing unit) 11 constituting a control unit main body stores program data for the CPU 11 to control each unit via a bus line 12. ROM (read only memory) 13, RA with various memories for data processing
M (random access memory) 14, a communication interface 15 for controlling transmission and reception of data to and from the personal computer 2, a head driver 17 for driving and controlling a thermal line head 16 as a print head, a label feed And a motor driver 19 that drives and controls a feed motor 18 that performs the following operations.

The RAM 14 includes, as shown in FIG. 2 in particular, a model table 21 for setting and storing the print width of a corresponding print head corresponding to the model code of various printers equipped with the respective print heads. And a correction value memory 23 for storing a correction value for the X coordinate of the printing start position.

By the way, the above model table 21 and default memory
The print width set to 22 is obtained as follows. For example, in the case of a 3-inch print head composed of 768 dots and having 0.095 mm per dot, the print width is [768 × 0.095 =
72.96 mm] (in this embodiment, the model code of the label printer equipped with this print head is M1). In the case of a 4-inch print head composed of 1120 dots and 0.095 mm per dot, the print width is [1120 × 0.095 = 107.5
2 mm] (in this embodiment, the model code of the label printer equipped with this print head is M2). In the case of a 6-inch print head composed of 1728 dots and 0.095 mm per dot, the print width is [ 1728 × 0.095 = 164.16m
m] (in the present embodiment, the model code of the label printer equipped with this print head is M3).

On the other hand, the personal computer 2 includes a reference setting command for setting information on the origin with respect to the printing start position, a designated label width, and the like, and a label for setting the printing start position, magnification, printing direction, and the like of the print head such as characters and bar codes. Various commands necessary for label printing, such as a form command, a label data command for setting print data, and an issue command for issuing a label, are transmitted.

FIG. 4 shows a data format of the reference setting command. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes a model code which is information relating to the origin, 42 denotes a label width, 43 denotes a fine adjustment change amount of the X coordinate of the origin,
44 is a fine adjustment direction.

FIG. 5 shows the data format of the label form command, where 51 is the character string number, 52 is the X coordinate of the print start position with respect to the origin (horizontal direction), and 53 is the Y coordinate of the print start position with respect to the origin (vertical direction). , 54 are horizontal magnifications, 55 is a vertical magnification, 56 is a character type, and 57 is character string rotation information.

FIG. 6 shows the data format of the label data command, where 61 is a character string number and 62 is print data.

The CPU 11 of the label printer 1 is program-controlled to execute the processing shown in FIG. That is, when a reference setting command shown in FIG. 4 is received from the personal computer 2 as ST (step) 1 (origin information input means), a correction value setting process specifically shown in FIG. 8 is executed. That is, the printing width (this is a) corresponding to the model code 41 in the received setting command is read from the model table 21. In addition, the printing width (hereinafter referred to as b) of the pudding set in the default memory 22 is read out. Then, the correction value D is calculated by the following equation (1) (correction value calculation means).

D = | b / 2−a / 2 | (1) Further, the fine adjustment change amount 43 in the setting command is increased or decreased by the calculated correction value (increase if the fine adjustment direction is leftward, increase rightward). If it is reduced, the result is stored in the correction value memory 23.
To be stored.

After receiving the reference setting command, when a label form command shown in FIG. 5 is received from the personal computer 2 as ST2, the contents of the correction value memory 23 are added to the X coordinate 52 in the command to perform correction (correction processing). means). Next, ST3 personal computer 2
6 receives the label data command shown in FIG.
According to the contents of the label form command received in ST2 (however, the corrected coordinates are used for the X coordinate), the print data is processed for label printing. The above-described label form command and label data command are sequentially transmitted until the data for one label is completed, so the above processing is repeated each time. However, the transmission of the label form command is omitted when the same content as the content to be set is already set in the label printer.

When the data for one label is completed, an issue command is transmitted from the personal computer 2, so that ST
When this issuance command is received as 4, label printing and issuance are performed, the contents of the correction value memory 23 are cleared, and this processing ends.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

For convenience of explanation, the personal computer 2 which is applied to a label printer (model code M1) equipped with a 3-inch print head of 768 dots and 0.095 mm per dot is composed of 1728 dots. 1
A case where the present invention is applied to a label printer (model code M3) equipped with a 6-inch type print head of 0.095 mm per dot will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the personal computer 2 in this example is
The origin (X = 0) that determines the print start position of the print data is
Print width (72.9) in label printer 1 with model code M1
6mm) 1/2 of print width (36.48mm) from center position C to the left
Just moved to the position. Therefore, when a label L having a width of 3 inches is used in the label printer of the model code M1 and the X coordinate of the print start position for certain print data is x, the printing of the print data starts from the position p1 in the figure. Become.

On the other hand, in the label printer with the model code M3, the origin (X = 0) is a position shifted from the center position C of the print width (164.16 mm) to the left by half (82.28 mm) of the print width. Therefore, when a label L having a width of 3 inches is used in the label printer of the model code M3, if the correction according to the present embodiment is not performed, if the X coordinate of the print start position for certain print data is x, p2 in FIG. The printing of the print data is started from the position.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the reference setting command is received from the personal computer 2 corresponding to the label printer with the model code M1 in the label printer with the model code M3, the printing width (corresponding to the model code M1 in the command) is received. a = 72.96) from the model table 21 and the print width (b = 164.16) of the model from the default memory 22 and calculate a correction value (D = 45.6) based on the above equation (1). I have. Then, the correction value (or the correction value obtained by further fine-tuning) D is added to the x coordinate of the X coordinate of the print start position set in the subsequently received label form command and corrected. As a result, p3 in the figure is obtained.
The printing of the print data is started from the position. The position p3 coincides with the position p1, and the same print result is obtained by using the same personal computer 2 with the label printer of the model code M1 and the label printer of the model code M3.

Therefore, a plurality of label printers having different printing widths are required
Can be controlled by one personal computer,
Excellent effects such as reduction of equipment cost and improvement of versatility can be expected.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an online mode label printer has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a stand-alone mode label printer using a RAM card.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a label capable of obtaining the same print result even when a printer control unit or a RAM card for a print head of a type different from the equipped print head is used. We can provide a printer.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 to 9 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall schematic configuration, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a label printer, and FIG. Is RA
FIG. 4 shows a data format of a reference setting command, FIG. 5 shows a data format of a label form command, and FIG. 6 shows a data format of a label data command. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the CPU, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the correction value setting processing of FIG. 7 in detail, and FIG. 9 is a view used for explaining the operation of the present embodiment. 1 ... label printer, 2 ... personal computer (printer controller), 11 ... CPU, 16 ... thermal line head (print head), 21 ... model table, 22 ... default memory, 23 ... correction value memory.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A center position of a label is aligned with a center position of a maximum width printable by a print head, and information such as a print start position and a size with respect to an origin of print data such as a character or a bar code is input. A label printer that prints out the print data on the label based on: information input means for inputting information on a print head to be printed out of the print data; and a maximum width printable by the print head and the input. Correction value calculating means for calculating a correction value of the print start position of the print data from a maximum width printable by a print head which is a target of print output of the print data input by the input information by the means; Correction processing means for correcting the print start position information of the print data based on the calculated correction value. And a label printer.